Last week that team hung 40 plus on a Bills squad that got run out of the building. In one half. We ran with them, and blocked just enough layups to win. DO you know what a statement that is? Some are looking at the Patriots near 500 yards as a sign that there are deficiencies on this defense. Yeah, we might need a better nickel coverage package for the slot, but we just played one of the most revolutionary offenses in the league and got better as the game went on. That breaks all the rules. Wanna go 85 plays, do you? As that Pats squad went north of 60 plays, our defense got better and better. That ain't right.Besides a Bajillion points, what were the Patriots goals? 80 plus plays, put small quick guys on big guys in space, and take away our best player, Marshawn. Check, Check, and Check. Those three things were supposed to be plenty to beat an anemic rookie led offense. They executed Bill's game plan to make the rookie win the game, and the rookie won the game. Pundits will talk about how many layups they missed, well Eff the pundits. They got short arms in the clutch because even in a game where the yards looked easy, Seattle made them pay for those yards in bruises. They played their games, and the Hawks still took their will away from them.

Worried by too many close games? Don't be. This team HAS to play close games. They don't know how good they are, and only having to rise to these nail biting challenges will bring that quality out of them.

The Patriots will be just fine, they will still cruise to a division title. They are the Johnson/Kareem/Worthy Lakers. Who knows, they may get a chance to play us again.

Scottemojo wrote:They got short arms in the clutch because even in a game where the yards looked easy, Seattle made them pay for those yards in bruises. They played their games, and the Hawks still took their will away from them.

The pat receivers were gamers, but when it came down to the wire they started short arming those balls just like everyone else this year.

If felt like the pats were trying to play rope a dope against our hard hitting D (sorry to switch sports analogies to boxing but it's what came to mind during the game), getting down, getting out of bounds, not taking direct shots. But the Seahawks D did not punch itself out, and as the game wore on, they started getting their licks in and making the receivers and ball carriers pay for their yards. Combine that with the Hoodie asking Brady to throw a crazy number of passes and by the end of the game that pats precision machine-like offense looked woozy and spent.

"They executed Bill's game plan to make the rookie win the game, and the rookie won the game."

The above part of your post reminded me of post-game comments from Braylon Edwards:

"It was good for the coaches to see that this is what we can potentially be," said Seahawks wideout Braylon Edwards, whose graceful, 10-yard touchdown catch on fourth down cut Seattle's deficit to six midway through the fourth quarter. "We've got to build off this. We can't have a game like this and go backwards. "We can't go back to throwing the ball 15 times a game. It's a new NFL. You have to attack through the air. I mean, we can throw it and run it."

I think Braylon expressed the frustration that his team mates have been holding back with their politically-correct comments to the press. I was hoping the Hawks would play a team with a good enough defense to stop Lynch, and an offense that would force them to throw the ball in order to keep up. The Pat's filled that bill to a Tee!! If this doesn't open the coaches eyes to what is being under-utilized nothing will. I seriously feel the 'hawks could have played this game with a semi-comfortable lead, but any kind of progress in opening-up the passing game makes me a happy camper.

I hear ya on the defense. It's crazy how they seem to get better and gain energy as the game progresses. I don't know how many people have watched Star Trek and know what the Borg Continuum is, but for those geeks in the know, this defense seems to play so together and learn so quickly on the fly it's almost freaky. Add the late-game second wind and they really become a pleasure to behold.

HawKnPeppa wrote:I don't know how many people have watched Star Trek and know what the Borg Continuum is, but for those geeks in the know, this defense seems to play so together and learn so quickly on the fly it's almost freaky.

I have no idea what the Borg Continuum is, but I know what the Borg Collective is. And I love the reference. Boy did they adapt.

"They executed Bill's game plan to make the rookie win the game, and the rookie won the game."

The above part of your post reminded me of post-game comments from Braylon Edwards:

"It was good for the coaches to see that this is what we can potentially be," said Seahawks wideout Braylon Edwards, whose graceful, 10-yard touchdown catch on fourth down cut Seattle's deficit to six midway through the fourth quarter. "We've got to build off this. We can't have a game like this and go backwards. "We can't go back to throwing the ball 15 times a game. It's a new NFL. You have to attack through the air. I mean, we can throw it and run it."

I think Braylon expressed the frustration that his team mates have been holding back with their politically-correct comments to the press. I was hoping the Hawks would play a team with a good enough defense to stop Lynch, and an offense that would force them to throw the ball in order to keep up. The Pat's filled that bill to a Tee!! If this doesn't open the coaches eyes to what is being under-utilized nothing will. I seriously feel the 'hawks could have played this game with a semi-comfortable lead, but any kind of progress in opening-up the passing game makes me a happy camper.

I hear ya on the defense. It's crazy how they seem to get better and gain energy as the game progresses. I don't know how many people have watched Star Trek and know what the Borg Continuum is, but for those geeks in the know, this defense seems to play so together and learn so quickly on the fly it's almost freaky. Add the late-game second wind and they really become a pleasure to behold.

From that same Yahoo article:

Wilson said he realized "about halfway through" Rice's route that it had touchdown potential, adding, "Sidney did a great job of running his route and creating an opening."It was an opening that, in fairness, neither player could have anticipated based on the looks they'd seen during practice."We got the perfect coverage for it," Rice said. "It never works like that in practice, trust me. But when the cornerback tried to re-route me [to the inside], I knew it was Cover 2. I stayed wide and stuck him at 12 yards – put my foot in the ground when I saw him coming full speed and went hard to the inside.

HawKnPeppa wrote:I don't know how many people have watched Star Trek and know what the Borg Continuum is, but for those geeks in the know, this defense seems to play so together and learn so quickly on the fly it's almost freaky.

I have no idea what the Borg Continuum is, but I know what the Borg Collective is. And I love the reference. Boy did they adapt.